Slivered Love
by MrsGinPotter
Summary: He led his gorgeous companion by her hand to his bedroom, completely oblivious to the pair of hurtful eyes watching them from the shadows of the hall. At the sound of the door closing, Hermione Malfoy collapsed on the nearest armchair. Her husband of one year was cheating on her and there was nothing she could do about it.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello, everyone! So this story popped into my head after reading a wonderful three shot named 'Three faces of an affair' by 'mustlove11'. However, there are only very few similarities between the two stories - which you'd get to know eventually. I'm writing it after taking the complete permission of 'mustlove11'. This is going to be a multi chapter fic. I hope you guys like it:)**

 **xDRAMIONEx**

Adkins Williams had never bowed his head in front of anyone. Being a half blood Slytherin, in the den of Purebloods, he had always showed it to everyone that he had just s much magic in blood as them all. The former Head Boy of Hogwarts hadn't let his career get a single blotch ever. Hard work and cunningness took him higher and higher till he reached his current position of five years - The Head of Public Relations.

The Second Wizarding War had ended eight years ago. It had taken a lot of effort by the Ministry to restore the wizarding society. Even though the architectural structures had been repaired and people being rehabilitated, the establishment of peace was taking a toll on them all.

Everyday Adkins tried his level best to discuss the new laws that were being decided by the various departments and their effects on the general public. His team worked consistently and dutifully every single day to bridge the gap between the different strata of the society. Yet, it somehow fell short.

The DMLE had imprisoned as many guilty Death Eaters as they could over the course of the past years. Muggleborns had been given posts in the law making process in various departments. Every single Dept. at the Ministry had a mixture of people working in it. Yet, there were apprehensions, there were quiet glares and open retributions.

The general muggleborns had been oppressed for so long that some of them had developed hatred towards the members of the pureblood families. They hated seeing some purebloods living a life of dignity. Whereas some members of the Sacred Twenty Eight still harboured their prejudice as was evident in the upturning of noses and seething glances.

The people of different blood types working together did have an effect on the public. It did manage to thaw the perceptions of people but to a limited extent. The general public all had their prejudices and no amount of galas and events were able to create a dent big enough in the pre conceived notions of the people.

If the Ministry would release a law about the rights of Magical creatures, they would receive howlers from the pureblood elite. If the Ministry would employ children of Death Eaters, they would receive howlers from the Muggleborns. The behaviour of people was not so gently fueled by the various media establishments that had cropped up over the years.

Now, managing the anger of the wizarding world would be still manageable provided it was divided in the entirety of the Ministry of Magic. That wasn't the case though. Anything regarding unrest of the public was inevitably directed towards the Department of Public Relations. No matter the address on the envelope, if it was unofficial, it was sent to the Dept headed by Adkins Williams.

To say he was tired of the consistently pouring Howlers and hexed letters and constant media questions, was as big an understatement as ever possible. His clear record and spotless image was now under constant pressure from both the Ministry and the Public. He struggled everyday to maintain - to create a balance between the two, and failed. Greatly.

He needed to do something big. Something that would stun everyone and restore their faith in each other. Something that would bridge all gaps and change all perceptions. There had to be something that could prevent his sinking career graph. Something that would prevent hin from becoming a laughing stock.

He was roused from his musings by a knock on his door. A disheartened 'Come in' later, his Secretary opened the door to announce that the meeting between his department and the DMLE was soon to begin in the conference room. He grunted a thanks and put on his cloak to make his way to the said room that was adjacent to his office.

As he entered it, the people stood up to greet him and he took a look at the ones present, as if some idea would miraculously pop into his head by seeing their faces. A few members of his department along with a few DMLE members were present around the long table. Some of them looked bored and some excited. Yet, two people stood with identical murderous expressions on their faces and it seemed they were just barely controlling their impulse to murder each other. Completely oblivious to the remaining board members as they stared each other down.

The young man sent a classic sneer in the direction of the young woman who narrowed her eyes in a tow curling glare. And just like that, an idea bubbled into Adkins Williams' head as he looked at the pair in a completely different light. The solution to his misery was here. This was the something that could be his saving grace. Adkins Williams felt like he had won a thousand Galleons as he beamed at the sight of seething Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.

 **xDRAMIONEx**

 **A/N: Woah. So here was the first chapter. Please let me know your opinions on it and what do you think is going to happen. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it:)**

 **Until next time,**

 **MrsGinPotter**


	2. Hermione Granger

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** **: Hello, everyone! I am truly overwhelmed at the response I received at the prologue of this story. I honestly didn't expect to intrigue so many of you with the concept. I'm really happy at the support and I hope this story can live up to your expectations. I was going to wait before posting the first chapter but well, I couldn't really stop myself.**

 **Also, I'd like to add that this fic will have a lot of angst. The summary should make that clear. This is AU after the final battle and non-compliant with the epilogue and with the Cursed Child. I for one, hated the latter.**

 **Twenty follows, six reviews and two favourites! Thank you all so much :-)**

 **I was going to wait for at least a week before updating again but I just bowed before the enthusiasm.**

 **I'm sorry I'm unable to reply individually to each review. Really busy at the moment. I hope you guys understand:)**

 **P.S. - Draco and Hermione are not married yet.**

 **xDHx**

 _"A strong woman builds her own world. She is one who is wise enough to know that it will attract the man she will gladly share it with"_ \- Ellen J. Barrier

Chapter 1: Hermione Granger

It wasn't a normal occurence for a twenty-six years old witch to hold an important position at the biggest magical establishment in wizarding Britain. Yet, the impossible had been achieved by a bushy haired, button nosed Muggleborn Hermione Granger.

The brightest witch of her age, the brains and the only female member of the golden trio, had been climbing the success ladder swiftly and was yet to stop. After aiding in the defeat of the darkest wizard of all times at the prime age of seventeen, Miss Hermione Granger had returned to her alma mater to finish her final year of studies.

The highest marks in NEWTS, ever achieved by any student in five decades, helped her secure a position in the department of her dreams - The Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She had worked day in and day out to improve the conditions of all magical creatures. She had devised the laws to help the werewolves have easy access to the Wolfsbane potion at cost rate and to help them gain employment like regular fellow witches and wizards. She had helped freeing the house elves and securing a wage for them all - provided they chose to continue working. She had tightened laws about trading of important ingredients derived from creatures - thereby preventing illegal trade and misuse of the creatures.

Once she had decided that she possibly couldn't do anything further in the said department, she had decided to take a transfer to the place she had once strongly opposed. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Working at the DMLE required a lot of time and energy but that didn't bother Hermione in the slightest. Three years of sweat and sacrificed sleep later, here she was - the Deputy Head of the DMLE. Amidst envy and praise, she had made her way to the position through sheer hard work and nothing could deter her from performing her part in making the wizarding world a better place to live. It did often take a toll on her and she sometimes had to be forced to go home or take a break, yet it had been the best she had felt in the past eight years. Getting equal rights for Muggleborns, helping reinstate Magical Orphans and opening the door to reformation and employment of acquitted Death Eaters or their children - this was all that occupied her time now.

Working at DMLE also had it's perks. With Harry being the Head Auror, they got the chance to have lunch together on most days. Sometimes they were joined by Ginny (whenever she could find time) and sometimes by Ron, who had left the job of an Auror to join George in the joke shop. This meant that she almost never felt lonely.

Ginny and Harry had married after her she had joined the Holyhead Harpies as their reserve player, which was six years ago. They were still very much in love and the proud parents of two boys, James Sirius and Albus Severus. Hermione was the godmother of James along with Ron and till Albus was born, James occupied all of her free time. She doted equally on both the boys who were now of the ages four and three respectively. Having inherited the unkempt black hair of their father, they had alos inherited the mischievous streak from both the Potter and Weasley genes. Harry was absolutely smitten by his lovely family and it made Hermione feel so happy for her best friend whom she considered her brother. He finally had what he'd always craved - a loving family.

Ron too was currently at a happy place. Ron and her had dated for roughly two months after the war, when they decided they were too much like siblings to be dating. They had parted amicably and there had never been any hard feelings between the two. He had basked in the glory of being the second most famous war hero and had dated a string of girls before finally finding love in Emily, a beautiful half blood blonde who worked in the Department of Magical Sports. Her care free spirit and lack of concern about Ron's fame was what had drawn him to her. Her being a closet supporter of the Chudley Cannons did accelerate the process. They finally had gotten married two years ago and were expecting their first child after four months.

Hermione smiled as she looked at the photographs that adorned the mantelpiece of her two bedroom flat. Her feelings turned morose the moment it fell on the single still photograph - her parents. No matter how many times she saw it, she felt a pang of guilt and sadness engulf her. Besides doing her work at the Ministry, she had been trying non stop for the past eight years to find a cure for the Memory Charm she had placed on them, but to no avail. Soon after the war, she had travelled to Australia to find them and she had been successful. They had happily settled in their new lifestyle as Monica and Wendell Wilkins who owned a posh restaurant in Sydney. Though she was yet to discover a counter for the strong Memory Charm she had used on them. Usually memory charms were easy to work on provided they involved a short term memory. Hermione, on the other hand, had erased their entire life and planted a new one. That was tricky magic and there was no way to undo it. She resorted to being relieved that they had remained unharmed and her decision had not gone in vain. Even though they didn't remember their own daughter.

Shaking her head clear of the depressing thoughts, she checked her file for the day's meeting and flooed over to the Atrium of the Ministry. She stepped out of the fireplace, brushed her clothes free of soot particles, smoothened her hair and walked in purposeful steps towards the lift.

She smiled warmly at the various Ministry employees she crossed paths with and stopped to chat with a few of them. Hermione was quite popular at the Ministry. Both due to her War Heroine status and due to her friendly nature. People loved talking to her. She wasn't really close to many of them but they seemed to love her nonetheless. Also, due to her position and hard work, she was considered a role model.

She entered the lift along with a few other witches and wizards. Just as the door was about to close, a pale hand shot in between and the door magically stopped.

Now, being who she was and doing what she did, she also had people who envied and hated her. Especially because some of the laws written by her did not bode well with the general public. Correction. It did not bode well with the so called "normal population". Which meant a fairly good amount of work went into calming the people and helping her make the people understand her opinion. Also, assessing the public response and ways to ensure full acceptance by them. A tough feat indeed. Thus, the DMLE was in constant need of help from the Department of Public Relations. Which, by extension, meant that the members of her Department had to be in regular correspondence with the members of Public Relations Department.

This meant that Hermione, being the Deputy Head, had to interact more often than not with the Deputy Head of the said Department. She scowled as the bearer of the pale hand walked in wearing an expensive hand stitched charcoal black three piece suit, perfectly tousled white blond hair and a smirk that had witches swooning at his sight.

The bane of her existence.

Draco Malfoy.

 **xDHx**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap. Let me know your views on the description so far and the concept.**

 **Until next time,**

 **MrsGinPotter**


	3. Draco Malfoy

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **Hello everyone! Firstly, I want to profusely apologize for the delay in the update. I've been caught up lately. Secondly, high pitched squeal! 54 follows, 10 favourites and 13 reviews! You guys are amazing! Truly amazing!**

 **I dedicate this chapter to 100, Albus potter, MLeighW, WFTFA, , .wonderland, Gellert99 and all the lovely guest reviewers :-)**

 **I also dedicate this to and give a huge shoutout to all the readers who have favourited this and are following this story.**

 **Now, a glimpse into our other protagonist's life.**

 **×DM-HG×**

CHAPTER 2: Draco Malfoy

 _"Weak men wait for opportunities, strong men make them". - Orison Swett Marden_

Warm rays of sunlight streamed through the gaps in the heavy curtains and fell upon a face that scrunched up in annoyance. The owner of the said face grumbled and rolled over to lie on his front and catch the few minutes of the rare blissful sleep.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeep. Beep. Beee-_

The infuriating contraption - _alarm clock_ flew across the room and smashed against the opposite wall. However, it had served it's purpose of awakening the (now) owner of The Malfoy Empire. Draco Malfoy huffed and sat up, bare back resting against velvet lined headboard, royal blue satin sheets underneath his self and duvet pooling around his hips. He hit his head against the headboard at least half a dozen times in a vain attempt to clear his sleep addled brain.

Throwing the duvet off his black silk pyjama bottoms clad legs, the young Malfoy got down from the king sized bed and stretched his arms above his head in a languid fashion, taking comfort in the feel of soft carpet beneath his feet. He made to move towards the en suite when the broken mess of his alarm clock caught his eyes. He grimaced - he would have to get a new one. _Again._

Vanishing the crumbled mess, as a _Reparo_ would be of little use in case of an electronic item, he started the coffee machine and went to the en suite to finish his morning routine.

If someone from the wizarding world were to enter his room, with the exception of his mother and his best friends, they'd have checked Draco Malfoy for an impersonator. For there could possibly have been no way in hell that Draco Malfoy, son of the now dead Lucius Malfoy, tormentor of a multitude of poor souls at Hogwarts and bearer of the Dark Mark was willingly using Muggle equipments and not just using, enjoying - more like it.

It had happened after the war. Thanks to the statements of the Golden trio, yes, Weasley (shockingly) included, Draco had escaped Azkaban completely with a punishment - _reformation_ \- of twelve hours of Community Service in the wizarding world, daily for an year, along with classes about the Muggle world on weekends. Those classes were taught by old Muggle borns and Half bloods and made sure the pureblood learnt about the ingenious advancements of the Muggle world. He hadn't had been alone in either of those punishments. Pansy and Theo had also been subjected to the same punishment. Whereas, Blaise, Daphne and Astoria had had the Muggle classes without the community service as they'd stayed completely neutral during the war.

Blaise had left the country during the war, at Mrs. Zabini's insistence, and had spent an year worrying about his friends. The rest had never actively participated in the torture of younger students but hadn't stopped the Carrows from doing it either. However, the Dark Mark on the forearms of Draco and Theo - taken 'willingly' - had earned them the punishment. Pansy, despite having a blemish free left forearm, had committed the grave mistake of trying to hand over the Golden Boy to Vo- He Who Must Not Be Named. Her and Theo too had been spared the dreaded prison owing to the fact that they had been young adults, children of Death Eaters, trapped in a moral dilemma.

Gregory Goyle hadn't been let off the hook. He, alongwith Crabbe and Montague, had willingly participated in polishing their skills on the Unforgivables. Crabbe being dead, left Goyle and Montague to spend five years in Azkaban.

The Greengrass sisters had managed to remain completely neutral during the war. Their parents weren't the part of The Noseless Twat's inner circle. Hence, they had never been forced to take the Dark Mark. The Greengrasses, though well off, weren't considered amongst the high ranking purebloods owing to a few non pureblood marriages in their distant family. However, Mr. Greengrass never opposed the pureblood ideals but neither did he stand up against the Dark side. Hence, they were not the target of either group. In fact, Daphne had managed to save a few kids from a horrible fate by making them do detentions with Hagrid and Mcgonagall. Astoria, the younger sister of Daphne, had been in her fourth year and therefore, not a part of the chaos at all.

Yet, it had been compulsory for all Pureblood kids, irrespective of their age, to attend the extra Muggle classes on weekends during their holidays. Hence Blaise, Daphne and Astoria had joined the other three. Coffee was one thing Draco had taken to and no-one could make it better than the machine he'd bought for it.

One normally used their wand for setting an alarm but Draco had found the feature of setting different tones each day useful in waking him up. Also, he wasn't sure his wand could handle being thrown against a wall every morning.

Draco finished the bath and admired his face in the mirror while drying himself off. Pale as ever, the young Malfoy had certainly grown into his pointy features. A firmer jaw and cheekbones, barely there stubble and a dimple on his left cheek made him even more handsome than his school days. Draco set his hair (without any gel, thank you very much) to appear casually sexy, put on a bathrobe and went back into his room.

Freshly ironed black suit lay on his bed - courtesy of his house elf Wimsy. His coffee had been poured into a mug bearing thw Malfoy crest which rested on an ornate tray that also contained bacon sandwiches and the Daily Prophet.

Draco got dressed and finished his breakfast in ten minutes and skimmed through the headlines. His job needed him to be up to date with any happenings in the Wizarding world. Him taking up a post at the Ministry had come as a shock to almost everyone.

As Draco glanced at the photos adorning the wall, he couldn't help but reminisce about the past eight years.

The role played by Lucius Malfoy had promptly landed him in Azkaban for life. There was no doubt about his willing participation in torture and killing of Muggles and people from the Light side. Two years. Three months had been all that Lucius Malfoy had managed to stay healthy in the Dementor free prison before he had started going insane and even begun skipping his meals. His health had deteriorated gradually and finally after three years, Lucius Malfoy had closed his eyes permanently. Draco honestly couldn't bring himself to miss the man Lucius had become. He had mourned for the father he had lost the day he'd had the altercation with Dumbledore and had realized that status wasn't actually important, unlike what his father had forced him to believe. His mother had been extremely upset but she'd seen it coming. Though in love with Lucius, she had never really accepted his decisions that had led the family to it's downfall in their own house. She herself had been sentenced to two years of house arrest followed by five years of probation during which she had been banned from leaving the country. The sentence had ended one year ago and Narcissa Malfoy had decided to take up residence in the Malfoy holiday home in France in order to get away from all the horrible memories that Britain provided. Ofcourse the mother-son duo visited the other whenever possible.

The Malfoy family had been ordered to pay fine for reparations. However, the large sum had barely created a dent in their humongous wealth. Despite the war damage fees and the numerous charity donations, the Malfoy name had been dragged through Thestral dung and it was left to Draco to change the fate of the future generations. Due to his community service, Draco had managed to create a good impression on a handful of wizards and witches and once it had ended, Draco had applied for a post in the Ministry - he had sent an application to the general recruitment department that selected candidates for a suitable job depending on their resumé. He had been ready for any post in reality - even that of a clerk- anything to bring up the Malfoy name but had hardly had any hope whatsoever. Blessing had come in the form of one Adkins Williams, who had somehow thought him to be beneficial to the Department of Public Relations. Appointed as a junior intern, Draco had worked diligently day in and day out to gradually climb up the ladder in the department. Draco's appointment had been met with backlash and severe scepticism. It had been Adkins who had dismissed all concerns and backed Draco firmly stating that there could be no-one better than a Pureblood - a Malfoy at that to manage public relations with the conservatives in times when the Ministry was furiously creating reforms in favour of creatures and non Purebloods.

Draco shook himself out of his musings and dashed to the floo of his six bedroom mansion. He'd left the Manor and purchased a new house for himself - one free from snake sheddings and haunting images of a Dark Lord.

He flooed to the Ministry and walked fast yet gracefully to the lifts. He nodded at the people who wished him, ignored the ones who glared at him and smirked at the ones who glanced at him appreciatively. He saw the lift doors closing and moved forward fast to place his hand between the closing doors.

As the Deputy Head of the Public Relations, his life was extemely tough - especially due to constant reforms being made in the ministry. Changes in law as fast as changing weather and one witch was majorly responsible for most of the Howlers his department received. If only strangling the war heroine was allowed under perfectly reasonable circumstances, Draco would be the first to do the honours.

He schooled his facial expressions into a perfect smirk as he came face to face with a witch dressed in clothes perfect for the middle aged housewives and hair as attractive as a dragon's nest.

The bane of his existence.

Hermione Granger.

 **-DM×HG-**

 **Let me know your thoughts. They're always looked forward to eagerly:-)**

 **Until next time,**

 **MrsGinPotter**


	4. AN

**Hey, guys. Today I'm writing to apologize to you all for just disappearing and not updating in months.**

 **I've been at my lowest for the past one year. That things have been going downhill, would be an understatement. Professionally, I'm stuck between going down the path everyone expects me to and following my own passion.**

 **On the personal front, I've never been as alone as I'm right now. I know, it's weird cribbing about my life. But.. I just don't know how to move forward.**

 **I can't promise I would post the next chapter soon... Because I've had half of it written for a couple of months now but I'm unable to write more.**

 **The only thing I do nowadays is watch some TV show and cry when I'm not in company. The only people who do care about me are my parents. And the only reason I'm even trying is because they'd be devastated if something happens to me. There's literally not a single person, other than them, whose life would even have a pause if I ceased to exist. Because noone even remembers me. Not even my best friends. No contact for months even after I tried to talk to them. But no.. I know for a fact that I wouldn't commit suicide or harm myself in anyway. It's just.. that it's so God damn hard to smile or be hopeful about the future.**

 **I can't guarantee that I'd update the next chapter soon... Coz I've had half of it written but just not able to write more.**

 **I'm extremely sorry for having disappointed you guys. Some of you have been so supportive, and I do want to finish it for you all but.. I'm just.. stuck.**


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